Types of Lotus: Every Plant Called "Lotus," Explained

Ask ten gardeners about the types of lotus and you may get ten different lists. One will talk about pink and white pond flowers, another about the blue lotus of ancient Egypt, and a third about a small yellow-flowered plant in a meadow. They are all using the same word, yet they are describing plants that are not closely related at all.

This guide sorts the confusion out. We start with the two "true" lotus species, move on to the water lilies that are commonly called lotus, and finish with the land plants and trees that share the name. If you want the garden view instead (lotus flowers sorted by colour, size and petal count), read our companion guide to the different types of lotus flowers.

Why the name "lotus" is so confusing

"Lotus" is an old word. It reached English through Latin from the Greek lōtos, and Greek writers used it for several different plants: a fruit tree, a clover-like fodder plant and the sacred water flowers of Egypt. When European botanists later met the sacred flower of India and China, they used the same familiar name again.

Botanists solve the problem with scientific names. Common names are loose and local; a scientific name points to one group of plants anywhere in the world. Throughout this article we give both, so you always know which "lotus" is meant.

Group 1: The true lotus (genus Nelumbo)

When most people picture a lotus, they are picturing a member of the genus Nelumbo. It is the only genus in its family, Nelumbonaceae, and it contains just two living species. Both grow from thick underground stems (rhizomes) in the mud of ponds, lakes and slow rivers, and both hold their round leaves and large flowers well above the water on tall stalks.

A surprising fact: in the plant family tree, the lotus is not related to water lilies at all. DNA studies place it in the order Proteales, alongside plane trees and the proteas of South Africa and Australia. The resemblance to water lilies is a case of two unrelated groups adapting to the same watery way of life.

1. Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

Also called the Indian lotus, Asian lotus or pink lotus, this is the famous species of religious art and Asian cooking. Its native range runs from South and Southeast Asia into China, Japan, Russia's far east and northern Australia. It is the national flower of India and of Vietnam, and appears on the flag of Macau.

• Flowers: pink or white in the wild, often 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in) across, strongly scented.
• Leaves: round, bluish-green, water-repellent, sometimes 60 to 80 cm wide.
• Height: stalks can lift leaves and flowers 1 to 2 metres above the water.
• Uses: every part is eaten somewhere, from the crunchy root (bhein or kamal kakdi in Pakistan and India, renkon in Japan) to the seeds and young leaves.

Almost all of the thousands of garden lotus cultivars grown today were bred from this species.

2. American lotus (Nelumbo lutea)

The second true lotus is native to North America, from the eastern United States south through Mexico and into the Caribbean and northern South America. The US National Park Service describes it as the only lotus native to the Americas. Its flowers are a soft pale yellow, and it is usually a little smaller than its Asian cousin.

Indigenous peoples of North America ate its starchy rhizomes and seeds, and the plant is still common in lakes and river backwaters of the Mississippi basin. Because the two Nelumbo species can be crossed, breeders have used American lotus to bring yellow and cream shades into modern hybrids.

Group 2: Water lilies called "lotus" (genus Nymphaea)

The second big group belongs to the water lily family, Nymphaeaceae. Several tropical water lilies have been called lotus for thousands of years, mainly because of their role in ancient Egyptian art and religion.

3. Egyptian blue lotus (Nymphaea caerulea)

This sky-blue water lily from the Nile valley is the "blue lotus" of Egyptian tomb paintings. Its flowers open in the morning and close by early afternoon, which linked it with the sun's daily journey and with rebirth. In modern times it is also sold as a dried herb. It contains active alkaloids and has been linked with emergency-room visits, so it is very different from a harmless garden flower. Our article on what a lotus flower does covers the safety facts.

4. Egyptian white lotus (Nymphaea lotus)

Native to East Africa and Egypt, this white water lily opens at night and closes by late morning. The species name lotus was given by Linnaeus himself, which is one reason the confusion has lasted so long. It is grown in tropical ponds and has naturalised in a few warm places outside Africa.

5. Other "lotus" water lilies

Gardeners and sellers sometimes call almost any tropical water lily a lotus. You may also see Nymphaea nouchali, a blue-to-white water lily of South Asia and the national flower of Sri Lanka, labelled "blue lotus." All of these are water lilies, not Nelumbo.

Group 3: Land plants and trees named lotus

6. The Lotus genus (bird's-foot trefoils)

Here is the twist: the only plants with the official genus name Lotus are not water plants. They are small members of the pea family (Fabaceae). The best known is bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), a low meadow plant with bright yellow pea-like flowers and seed pods that spread like a bird's toes. Farmers value it as forage. Another, parrot's beak (Lotus berthelotii) from the Canary Islands, is grown in hanging baskets for its scarlet, claw-shaped flowers.

7. Lotus tree (Ziziphus lotus)

This thorny shrub of North Africa and the Mediterranean, a wild relative of the jujube, produces small sweet fruits. Many scholars think it is the "lotus" of Homer's Odyssey, the fruit that made sailors forget their way home.

8. Date-plum (Diospyros lotus)

A relative of the persimmon from Asia and southeastern Europe, sometimes also linked to the lotus-eaters story. Its small fruits turn sweet after they soften.

Quick comparison table

How to tell a true lotus from a water lily

Because the two groups are so often mixed up, here are five checks you can do at any pond:

1. Height. Lotus leaves and flowers stand on stalks well above the water. Water lily leaves float flat, and their flowers float or sit just above the surface.
2. Leaf shape. A lotus leaf is a complete circle with the stalk attached in the centre underneath. A water lily leaf has a clear slit or notch running from the edge to the centre.
3. Water on the leaf. Water beads up and rolls off a lotus leaf like mercury. On a water lily leaf it spreads more easily.
4. Centre of the flower. A lotus has a flat-topped, yellow "showerhead" in the middle, which becomes the seed pod. A water lily has a ring of stamens around a cup-shaped centre.
5. After flowering. Lotus seed pods stand up in the air and dry to brown. Water lily fruits are pulled under the water to ripen.

Which type should you grow?

For a large pond in a warm summer climate, a sacred lotus cultivar gives the classic look. American lotus suits native-plant gardens in North America. If you only have a patio, look for "bowl" or dwarf lotus varieties bred for containers. Tropical water lilies are easier in small ponds because they do not need deep mud.

One caution: in parts of the United States the sacred lotus is listed as potentially invasive because it can spread into dense mats. Always check local rules and keep plants in containers near natural waterways.

Frequently asked questions